Huila congress members describe President Gustavo Petro's shift in military strategy as tardy amid the expansion of armed groups. The bombings he ordered highlight the failure of the 'Total Peace' policy, according to senators and representatives. Leyla Rincón defends the military action as legitimate to protect 20 soldiers' lives.
Huila congress members have questioned President Gustavo Petro's recent shift in security strategy, ordering bombings against Farc dissident factions under alias 'Iván Mordisco'. This contrasts with his earlier criticisms as a congressman, when between 2019 and 2021 he labeled such operations as possible "war crimes" due to risks to recruited minors, and in 2023 he reiterated reproaches for lacking humanitarian safeguards.
Petro justified the 12 bombing actions in his government: "In the 12 bombing actions I have ordered in my government, I have requested maximum intelligence to avoid the death of minors and I have done it on the basis of neutralizing leaders of narco groups." The most recent strike in Guaviare aimed to prevent these groups from moving toward Venezuela and to avert an ambush on soldiers.
However, the Ombudsman's Office confirmed that a bombing in Guaviare killed six minors according to the entity, or seven per Forensic Medicine, who had been recruited by the armed group. Defender Iris Marín called it "profoundly lamentable" and stressed: "The principle of humanity must prevail above the war." Petro responded that, though regrettable, the operation was necessary to protect Public Force units.
Senator Esperanza Andrade sees desperation in the government over dissident growth, criticizing selectivity: "It is evident: it is another unfulfilled promise. What happened to complying with International Humanitarian Law in these operations?" Congresswoman Luz Pastrana views the shift as a forced adjustment to reality, urging transparency in DIH protocols to protect minors.
Leyla Rincón, aligned with the government, calls it a legitimate action against 150 men threatening 20 soldiers, without policy rupture: "The death of minors in any military operation is a tragedy that the State cannot normalize." Representative Julio César Triana sees it as a tardy and improvised reaction, eight months from the end of the term, with concerns over target selectivity.